Saving Dad
by JMNY8
Summary: Kim takes charge of her father's recovery. Post Day 7, goes AU after the first chapter. Eventual Jack/Renee
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing from 24

Guilt was a staple of the Bauer family. It was the issue behind most of Kim's relationship with her father, and it was overwhelming her ever since she realized how horrible she was to push her father away. It was magnified to an extreme when she found out he was held prisoner by the Chinese. People were careful not to give her too many details- and she fortunately never found out that they used her name to get to him- but what they wouldn't tell her spoke volumes. She knew they'd tortured him horribly for information. She knew, before they even told her, that he hadn't said a thing. And she knew it was all her fault. If she hadn't pushed her father away that day, maybe she would have been with him when they took him. Maybe she would have noticed he was missing sooner than Audrey, and found him before he could be taken to Beijing. Maybe… It's been eating away at her for four years now.

He was back in the US for just days, and he slipped through her fingers. By the time she found out he was out of China, he had disappeared once again. She was at the service for her uncle and grandfather when she found out. She'd heard something about them being involved with the nuke that went off outside her old house, but the full story hadn't been released yet. Her reaction to that was nothing compared to how floored she was when Josh told her about Jack saving his life- multiple times throughout the day.

"That's what he does" she said with a teary smile, before giving poorly-received condolences. It was clear that Josh was still struggling with the knowledge of his father's misdeeds. Marilyn seemed to be doing better but was also clearly stressed, particularly whenever Josh mentioned his father.

After the service, Kim pulled Marilyn aside.

"I'm sorry for bothering you with this today, but... I understand you saw my dad when he was in LA?"

Marilyn's eyes widened. "Kim, I'm so sorry I didn't call you- I was so shocked to see him, and then with.. Everything.. I should have called you. Did he come see you?" She never did know the right thing to say.

The tears started flowing as she whispered, "No. He- The last time I saw him, we said some things.. I asked him to stay away, but.." She was too choked up to continue. She continued crying as Marilyn pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back.

"I'm so sorry, Kim. You know your father loves you. Mr. Buchanan said you were the first thing he asked about when he got back. I don't know where he is right now, but I'm sure you could call."

Kim knew that when Jack Bauer wanted to disappear, he would be completely gone. Still, she had to do everything she could. She hired PI after PI, got a hold of the state department, broke her long-standing silence with CTU to beg Chloe to try and find him. Soon after CTU was gone and even Chloe hadn't been able to find a trace.

One day, she got five calls on her cell phone. Three PIs, the State Department, and Chloe O'Brian all confirmed that Jack was in the US and would be appearing before a senate subcommittee in a month. He had been back for about 7 weeks already, but that fact was being kept under wraps by the government to protect him from prior enemies. Kim couldn't get a hold of her father, but she started making arrangements. Her work schedule and her familial obligations wouldn't let her just pack up and go, but she managed to secure time at the start of the hearings to go out to DC. She wished she could get there earlier, before the hearings, but her schedule wouldn't allow it, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to track down her father anyways. Her plan was to sit as close to the front as possible, and do everything in her power to get his attention. She knew this wouldn't be easy for him- it was a witch hunt if she'd ever seen one. She hoped being there and showing him that she supported him and missed him would help make this easier for her father. Kim even went so far as to contact the aides of everyone on the subcommittee and begged to submit a statement or a character reference, anything she could do for her father.

Her husband didn't know what to do to help, but his support and love helped her keep going whenever it seemed hopeless. He said that he'd never seen her so intensely focused on anything before.

"I get it from my father." She'd said with the barest hint of a sob. Once she started missing him, it wouldn't stop.

Finally, the day came. Her flight got in late, but he was scheduled to be on the stand for another three hours. There was no time to check into the hotel. She instructed the car service to drop her luggage off there after dropping her off at the Capitol building. Rushing through security, she vaguely considered the fact that the driver could just steal her belongings and run off with them. She considered the fact that she didn't care. Nothing could stop her from seeing her father now.

Except him not being there. She wasn't overly concerned about being quiet rushing into the chamber- honestly; she hoped the noise would attract his attention. Several eyes turned towards her, but not the blue-green ones she desperately needed to see. He was gone, slipped away once again. Back outside, she grabbed the first aide she could find and demanded to know why Jack Bauer wasn't testifying. After getting passed off to three different people over the course of an hour, she discovered that the FBI had pulled him out. She collapsed on a plastic chair, spent. She had no idea what to do now.

"What would daddy do?" That was her motivation right now. Her father never gave up, and neither would she. Working at CTU made her privy to the tortuous bureaucracy that is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Every time they had to coordinate with them was a walking nightmare because they were so concerned with the paperwork and procedure. CTU had its protocols, but they did things swiftly and efficiently. More efficiently when her father was involved, she remembered.

No matter, she had to start somewhere. She pulled out her phone as she hailed a taxi. She called her husband on the way back to the hotel and explained how she missed her father. By the time she checked in, pleased to find her luggage intact, she was ready to start her deluge of calls to the Bureau. Kim Bauer was nothing if not persistent.

Her first call to the main FBI switchboard got her nowhere. They had no idea who Jack Bauer was, and they're in the middle of a national security crisis so it would just have to wait, thank you. Three calls to the same number, and two different operators didn't help much more, until her second call to the same operator got her a new number- the DC bullpen number.

It was past dinner time, and Kim hadn't gotten nearly far enough. She had been hoping to treat her father to steak or lobster tonight. Instead, it looked like she'd be digging peanuts out of the mini-bar.

The bullpen got her more information, but nowhere closer to getting in touch with her father. She discovered that the FBI had pulled him out of the senate hearing because he used to work with one of the players in a major terrorist conspiracy. That sounded like something that would happen to her father. She wished he wouldn't have to be in danger, but knowing him, he was just happy not to be stuck in the senate hearings. The thought of her father out in the field again, doing what mattered to him, brought a smile to her face. The knowledge that he was within fifty miles of her again made her want to laugh and cry all at once. He was finally so close to her, but she still couldn't find him. It was like she was living in one of her nightmares from when her mother died- four months straight of seeing each of her parents tied up and killed right in front of her, while she was powerless to stop them.

Kim didn't let those thoughts persist. She had work to do, and she was going to do it. The FBI bullpen was no help, so she was going to go extension by extension until she found someone who could get her information about her father.

She kept calling the same numbers over and over- the main switchboard operators started snapping at her when she started calling every 30 minutes on the dot. At 11 pm, she gave up, sobbing and exhausted. She called her husband one more time to fill him in on her lack of progress, wished him a goodnight and hopped into bed, still dressed. Kim curled up into a ball and sobbed, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. She had gotten so close- but tomorrow was a fresh day, and her father would have to finish his testimony some time. With that in mind, she finally reclined, hoping to relax if not sleep. She must have drifted off, because what seemed like 2 minutes turned out to be an hour and a half and her phone was ringing. Not just ringing, but displaying a 202 area code.

"This is Kim Bauer." She'd gotten used to referring to herself as Kim Patterson, but her mind was entirely focused on her father right now.

"Hello Kim, my name is Agent Renee Walker I'm with the FB-"

"Where is my father?"

Renee wanted to laugh at the thought of how alike Kim and her father were, but any thought of Jack sunk her further into a depression right now.

"He's here, Kim. He's been working to prevent all of the attacks today."

"Agent Walker, please, I just want to see my father, I've been trying to get to him all day. How can I get in touch with him?" Kim was trying very hard not to start crying again, but her desperation started to show.

"You're in DC? That's- I'm so glad you're here, Kim. Could you come into the FBI now? I'll send you a car if you tell me where you are and get you a visitor's pass."

Kim gave the FBI the name of her hotel and freshened up before meeting the car outside. Something in Agent Walker's voice concerned Kim. She couldn't imagine why there was a sense of urgency- there were no possible good reasons for it.

Her fears were confirmed when Agent Walker pulled her aside before leading her to the visitor's lounge.

"Kim, I need to talk to you about your father. I'm afraid-" her voice shook ever so slightly "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Renee explained Jack's illness to Kim. When she explained how he contracted the illness, Kim was filled with both devastation and immense pride. Her father was still the hero she envisioned him to be when she was twelve and he was off fighting some bad guys.

"Dr. Macer found a treatment that's- I won't sugar coat this Kim, it's not promising. But it's the only shot he has," She continued in an almost pleading tone, "and he doesn't want to take it."

Kim's eyes widened and she started to interject when Renee cut her off.

"He doesn't want to take it- because they would need your stem cells. There would be a risk to you, and your father was concerned. He, um.. He mentioned that you hadn't spoken, he didn't want to drag you into anything, but I got the notice that you tried calling."

Kim was curious about the relationship between her father and Agent Walker- it was apparent they were close in the way she talked about him, but her curiosity was overruled by the fear of losing her father- especially of losing her father without getting the chance to tell him how sorry she was, how much she missed him, how much she loved him.

"I want to talk to him. Please."

Renee escorted Kim to the visitor's lounge and went to get Jack.


	2. Chapter 2

Kim was in a bit of a fog for the rest of the night. She remembered picking up her luggage from the hotel and calling her husband, but the rest was a blur until she noticed the man staring at her at the airport before completely disappearing when she returned from the restroom. It was all downhill from there, culminating in a shoot-out in the terminal.

Kim and Renee raced to track down Jack, finally getting a lucky break through a hidden node Chloe stumbled upon. As Renee raced off to save Jack, Kim started to wonder why she was so quick to let her father give up when he clearly had so much to live for- the FBI was officially searching for Almeida, but Chloe, Renee, and Kim were all on a mission to get to Jack.

Kim was brought to a nearby clinic to treat her burn. After she was treated, she debated going back to the airport when Renee called to tell her Jack had been rescued and gave her the hospital information. In that moment, Kim knew what she had to do. She raced to the hospital, ready to bribe, threaten, and intimidate anyone necessary to get her father the treatment he needed.

Dr. Macer tried to warn her about the risks, but seemed eager at the chance to save Jack. Or maybe she just wanted to try a cool new surgery, but Kim knows the kind of loyalty and respect her father tends to command. Less than five minutes after entering her father's hospital room, a flock of doctors came in to prep them both.

Sunny didn't want to admit it, but she was close to taking matters into her own hands and calling Kim herself when the young woman appeared. She was obligated to remind Kim of the risks of surgery, but was eager to make the attempt to save the life of the man who had saved so many.

Sunny vaguely remembered Jack from her work with Michelle Dessler and the Cordilla virus, and through his medical records and unsealed documents from the senate hearing, she was able to get an idea of what this man had gone through. She hadn't been prepared when he first took off his shirt for decontamination. She was embarrassed about the look of shock that must have been on her face. The shock at seeing the scars was nothing compared to the way he dismissed them- "I've had these scars." The medical records explained the scars away, but nothing could explain his blasé behavior.

She had seen patients react to their imminent demise many different ways. Some of them were as quiet as Jack, but something about the way he handled himself through the news haunted her. He gave a quiet chuckle when he saw the results. She couldn't explain to herself how, but she knew exactly what was going through his head right then. "It's not contagious. I can still work." At least, she hoped the glint of relief she saw had to do with not being a risk to others, not at his looming death.

After that she poured over his medical records and the Senate files, and was shocked at what he'd been through. He was already a medical miracle- more broken bones and gunshot wounds than any dozen of her other patients combined, he'd been through heart failures and technically died on multiple occasions, come back from a heroin addiction, and survived months of torture. She had warned Jack, Kim, and the oddly (maybe not so oddly) attentive Agent Walker that the chances were slim, but in the back of her mind she realized that if anyone could pull through this, it would be this man before her- and she would do whatever it takes to make that happen.

A week after surgery Jack was almost ready to wake up. Kim had started to get impatient two days ago, but the appearance of her husband and daughter quickly remedied that. She was still slow on her feet from the biopsies and transfusions, but having her family around helped her recover. The fact that her husband was a doctor didn't hurt, either.

Finally, she was going to get her chance to talk to her father, explain why she went against his wishes, and most importantly introduce him to his new family. She'd been waiting for this day for so long- when Teri was born she couldn't help but wish her parents were both there to see the beautiful baby girl they'd made.

Steven and Teri were still at the hotel- she wanted to speak to her father before he met them. Kim had been sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair for half an hour while several doctors and nurses hovered around him, checking stats and adjusting meds. Forty-five minutes after they stopped his coma medication, he thrashed awake.

Suddenly she was glad she asked her family not to be here right away. Jack moaned but wouldn't scream as he tossed and turned. He looked straight at Dr. Hong, with a syringe in his hand, and Kim realized what was wrong.

"Move! MOVE!" Despite her lack of an MD, the doctors took notice of her authoritative tone.

"Daddy! Daddy, it's me, Kim! It's Kim. You're in a hospital. You're in Washington DC. You're in the United States. Daddy, I'm here. I'm here." She grabbed at his hand, wanting desperately to comfort her. When Dr. Hong stepped away and Kim was holding his hand, Jack started to relax. Then he started to seize.

When the crowd of doctors pushed Kim away she crawled back into the chair, hugging her knees. She looked on in fear as the doctors pushed more medicine into him. A few minutes after his episode, he was still again.

Dr. Macer had entered the room during the fray, and approached Kim after they'd gotten Jack back down.

"Kim, we've induced another medical coma. I don't want you to worry, it's not a bad sign, he just needs more time to flush this out of his system and let the treatment take effect before waking him up again. I understand he had somewhat of an episode upon waking up. Can you tell me what happened?"

Kim looked at her hands, unsure of exactly what to say. She glanced up at Dr. Hong, who was looking at Jack with confusion, before turning back to Dr. Macer.

"I think- I think he thought he was.. somewhere else." She didn't want to continue, not knowing how much she'd have to say. She had no idea the extent of what her father had been through. "I think he thought he was in China."

Dr. Macer's eyes widened, and Kim knew she didn't need to say any more.

"I- I'm so sorry Kim. I didn't realize that would happen- of course." She paused and thought for a moment before continuing.

"Here's what I'd like to do. Next time we wake him up, I'd like you or someone else familiar to be within eyesight so he doesn't flash back." She glanced up at Dr. Hong, realizing where Kim's eyes went earlier. "We might want to keep doing that the first few times he wakes up. These kinds of flashbacks can be persistent. By the time we wake your father up again, you'll be out of hospital care. You may want to track down some other people your father is familiar with in case you can't be here."

Kim had no intentions of leaving her father's side- but intentions couldn't control a crabby infant. She knew her time would have to be divided between her father's bedside and her daughter's constant pleas for attention, but she didn't know too many people in the area. Chloe was the first one to come to mind, but she also had other obligations. Still, she'd want to be informed.

"I know Chloe O'Brian is still in the area, and there's an FBI Agent who was working with my dad."

"Agent Walker, yes, I think I have her information if you need it."

Kim was again curious about the relationship between her father and Renee- according to Chloe, Jack had just met the attractive FBI agent the day he was exposed to the virus. Kim's mind flashed back to Kate Warner. Kim was confused at why her father would trust someone he just met that day, but Kate ended up dating Jack for several years, and though they didn't work out, Kim still maintained a friendship with Kate. Jack was usually a good judge of character, and was particularly careful after Teri's death. He didn't give his trust to many people, but the ones who got it had it implicitly. Kim got the impression that Renee Walker was one of these people.

Dr. Macer left to get Renee's contact information while Kim settled down next to her father, holding his hand.

Three days went by slowly- Kim had just been released from hospital care this morning, but wasn't planning on leaving any time soon. She had again instructed her family to wait for her call while she got ready to help her father come back to reality.

As the doctors started to take him back off of the medication, Kim stood beside him and grabbed his hand.

He roused quietly this time, his brow furrowing before his eyes opened.

"Teri?" he whispered.

"No, Daddy, it's me. It's Kim. I'm here, Daddy."

Jack's eyes opened, confused. He looked around at the doctors, looked down at his hospital gown and bed, and looked back at his daughter.

"You're damn stubborn. Don't know where you get it from."

Kim laughed and launched herself into her father's arms as gently as possible while the doctors around them smiled and even gave a bit of applause. Most of them quickly turned their attention to congratulate Dr. Macer on a wonderful bit of medicine. Sunny couldn't care less about their accolades, she was overjoyed at the sight of Jack and his daughter laughing and gazing happily at each other.

After the celebration died down a bit, Sunny informed the Bauers that they weren't completely out of the woods yet- he was still likely to have mild seizures for the next few weeks, and would have to go through a lot of physical therapy to get back into his previous peak condition. Kim left the room while she went over the PT plan, and returned as Sunny was leaving the room. She couldn't help but look back and smile at the two of them.

Now that Kim had some time alone with her father, she had a lot to tell him.

"Daddy, first of all, I know you didn't want me to do the treatment. But it was my choice, and I'd do it all over again. I love you, Daddy, and I'm not ready to lose you again."

Jack gently brushed his thumb against her cheek, hiding the struggle it was to get his hand that far.

"Sweetheart, I am so proud of you. You've grown up into such a beautiful, mature woman and you saved my life. I wasn't willing to accept the risks to you… I'm still not entirely thrilled that you took such a risk, but… I love you, sweetheart. Thank you."

Kim's tears were threatening to overflow at this point, but she still had things to say that were on a timetable. She glanced at the clock- it had been 10 minutes since she called her husband. They were probably another 15 out at this point. She still hadn't figured out how to tell her father about Steven and Teri- and she really wasn't sure how he'd react to the name. She'd always imagined that he'd be pleased, but with the reality looming so closely she couldn't help but get a bit nervous.

"Sweetheart, you look terrified. Everything's all right now." Jack wasn't sure if it was the medicine or his daughter being there that made him euphoric. Everything just seemed a bit rosier than usual today.

"Daddy, I'm not scared, I'm… There's so much that I wanted to tell you." She looked up at the clock- 13 minutes.

Jack followed her gaze questioningly. "Hot date?"

Kim smiled and automatically reached for the ring on her left finger.

"Actually Daddy, I have some people coming by to visit you. People I really want you to meet." Kim couldn't continue anymore because of the tears. Jack grabbed her hand and rubbed her wedding ring. She smiled. "Daddy, my husband's on his way here. And he's bringing our daughter."

Jack was speechless. His sweet little girl had a daughter of her own. Instantly, a thousand emotions ran through his mind. Pride in the woman his daughter had become, regret at missing his granddaughter's birth, shock at the thought of being a grandfather. With tears streaming down his face, he laughed and pulled his daughter in for a hug.

"Steven's a physician in LA, daddy, and my daughter… Teri is almost a year old." At the sound of his wife's name he looked up in shock. He shook slightly with the sob that was leaving his mouth. Kim started to tense up, worried about causing him pain.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. I'm so proud." Just then with a knock on the door, Steven and a slightly cranky Teri entered the room.

Kim beamed up at them, eyes shining with happy tears as she urged them over.

"Daddy, this is my husband Steven.. And this is your granddaughter."

As much as Jack wanted to size up the man who was now caring for his daughter, he couldn't take his eyes off of the adorable blonde bundle in his arms.

"She looks just like you, Kim. She's beautiful."

The happy family image lasted for about three minutes, until Teri was too cranky to be still. As much as Jack had wanted to hold her, he just wasn't strong enough for it yet. Kim left to get Teri something to eat and walk around with her while Jack and Steven got to meet.

Steven was fairly terrified about meeting his father-in-law. Kim had told him enough about his work to know that, even in his sickbed, the man could probably snap his neck if he looked at him funny. Also, Steven was raised with traditional beliefs- he never asked Jack for Kim's hand in marriage. According to Kim, this is something Jack had also done for Teri, and Steven was hoping the breach in protocol could be overlooked.

Then as he asked for Jack Bauer's room, he was subjected to several tales of heroics and perseverance- all in the last few weeks. He had no idea what to say. Fortunately, his worrying seemed to be in vain.

"So you're Steven."

"Yes, sir- Steven Patterson. It's great to finally meet you." He paused, unsure of which way to go from here. Might as well start from the beginning. "Kim and I got married three years ago. I'm sorry I didn't ask you for her hand in marriage, but.. We were still trying to track you down."

To his surprise, Jack let out a slight chuckle. "It's nice to meet you too, Steven. And thank you for the gesture, but… My daughter's hand goes to whomever she damn well wants it to. I hope you'll settle for my blessing."

Steven smiled in relief, and decided once again that he was thrilled with his family.

Jack's smile dropped suddenly. "I think it goes without saying, if you hurt one hair on my baby girl's head, or my granddaughter…"

Steven held back a gulp. "Goes without saying, yes sir."

Jack's smile was back. "Have a seat. Kim tells me you're a physician."

Kim walked back into the room with Teri ten minutes later to find her husband and father chatting amicably. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. Her family was finally together.

Chloe had stopped by several times, once with Morris and Prescott. When they were alone one afternoon, she asked him about Tony. She couldn't comprehend what had happened to him, why he did such horrible things. Jack didn't have any answers for her, but it didn't seem to matter. Once Chloe had said what she needed to say, she took a deep breath and shook her head sadly before mentally putting it aside.

Three more weeks had gone by, and Jack's good mood had worn down. He was suffering slightly from being weaned off of medication, and physical therapy was even slower than he remembered from the last time he was incapacitated- when his heart had failed on him in the middle of a crisis.

The main thing that was wearing on his mood was his phone. He'd called Renee Walker at least three times to no avail. He also knew that Sunny Macer and his daughter had tried calling her with equally disappointing results. On Chloe's last visit, she revealed that Renee had been fired from the FBI for an unlawful interrogation of Alan Wilson. Jack felt his heart pounding in his throat. "Make choices you can live with." He'd thought it good advice at the time, but people may not always know what they really can live with. He had to get in touch with her, had to apologize for all he'd done to her, had to try to make things right.

Kim could see the guilt eating away at him, and could tell that this was strongly affecting him. It took her a while to get him to admit that something was wrong, and even longer to find out that it had something to do with the FBI Agent she was so curious about. Finally, after he'd been awake in the hospital for a little over a month, he told Kim part of why he was so upset- he explained that he started working with Renee that day, and that he felt he pushed her too far over the edge, that it was his fault she was out of a job right now and potentially suffering. Kim had seen this before- their family thrived on misplaced guilt. Jack wasn't going to forget about this any time soon, and Renee seemed to be off the grid. It looked like it was time for Kim to take matters into her own hands again.

Chloe and the few FBI agents she talked to had mentioned some similarities between Jack and Renee. Kim knew how to manipulate her father into doing the right thing- now she just had to hope it would work as well on someone who was supposedly a kindred spirit. At three on a Saturday afternoon, Kim found herself incessantly banging on Renee's door.

"What?" the redhead shouted as she whipped the door open. She froze, shocked, when she saw Kim Bauer standing outside. "I- I'm sorry, Kim. What- is everything alright?"

Kim looked sternly at Renee. "No, everything's not alright. My dad's in the hospital."

Renee looked on, confused. "I heard that you went through with the treatment. I thought he was recovering? Was there a complication? What happened?"

From the concern the woman showed, Kim could tell it wouldn't be too difficult to get her to the hospital.

"He's recovering. No complications. But he's struggling with a lot of things and I think you're the only one who can help him."

Renee's eyes widened even more, if that were possible. "Me? I couldn't possibly- Kim, thank you for thinking of me, but.." She wasn't sure what to say, which excuse to give. "I just met your father for the first time that day. I don't really know him all that well. Thanks for thinking of me, though."

Kim stopped Renee from edging the door closed and fixed her with a stern look.

"My dad has been letting his guilt over getting you involved in this mess eat away at him for the last month. He knows it's his fault you're no longer with the FBI, and he needs a chance to apologize." Kim knew she was playing dirty here- if Renee was anything like Jack, she wouldn't be able to handle the thought of someone else thinking that something in her life was their fault.

The woman's heartbroken face showed Kim that she had done her job.

"Give me 5 minutes to get my things."

Kim walked back into her father's room to see him scowling at his lunch tray. Jack Bauer was not the Jell-O type of guy. "Daddy, I brought a visitor. I'm going to take this and track down something better for lunch, ok?"

Jack looked up, confused about who would be visiting him. His face softened noticeably when he saw Renee walk through the door. Kim grabbed the lunch tray and left the room, closing the door behind her. Maybe she would go out to grab her father some lunch- somewhere a good half hour away.

It had been difficult for Kim to accept another woman in her father's life at first. Though she was thankful to Kate Warner for taking her to her father when they first met, when she and Jack started dating Kim had been somewhat hostile. After a few weeks, and a stern lecture from her father, she realized that seeing her father happy was really what she wanted, what her mother would have wanted. Things were easier between her and Audrey- she'd met her only once before Jack had 'died', but they got along right away. Now it looked like someone else may be taking a place in her father's life. Kim smiled at the thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack smiled as Renee stepped closer. She refused to meet his eyes, looking at his feet, the monitors, the chair, even her own hands for a bit.

"Renee, have a seat." She edged the chair next to the bed and sat down, still looking towards the floor.

Tired of looking at the top of her head, Jack placed a hand on the side of her face and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. As she looked up at him with wide eyes, his smile brightened.

"Hey."

"Hey, Jack." She paused uncomfortably. "How are you?"

"Better. I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now."

Renee looked back down at her hands at this, ashamed. "Yeah- I know. I got your messages. I just…" She cut herself off before she went too far.

"Hey." He said softly to get her attention, "It's alright. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Now it was his turn to look down. "And I wanted to apologize."

Renee wanted to cut him off before he started blaming himself for her mistakes, but the earnest, pleading look in his eyes made her breath stop briefly.

"I know that none of this would have happened if I hadn't trusted Tony. If I hadn't.. I've made so many mistakes, Renee. And it's always good people like you who have to pay for them."

She wanted to stop him, wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, but the tears were falling and she still hadn't found her voice. She settled for shaking her head throughout his confession.

"Jack- please don't." Her voice was barely above a whisper, she was so distraught. "Please don't blame yourself for any of that. You're not responsible for Tony or Hodges or… Or Wilson."

Jack didn't miss the way Renee's voice caught at the end. His blind joy at seeing her died down, and he noticed that she looked slightly different. She was less put together, thinner, and there was a haunted look about her. He had seen it before- in himself, in Tony, so many people lost themselves in this job.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jack's hand found hers and she couldn't look away.

Countless people had been asking Renee to talk about Wilson. She relayed the information she obtained in her debrief, but went into no further detail. Her superiors, the FBI-appointed psychologist, hoards of former friends and colleagues had been asking her about Wilson. She had absolutely no desire to speak to them about it. She had no desire to speak to anyone at all about it- or so she thought. Jack's penetrating stare seemed to see right past her defenses, and she felt so safe with her hand in his that she suddenly couldn't think of a reason not to talk to him about it.

"I just thought- I just thought that if I could find out who was behind this, I could- I don't know, fix it, everything would be better. That I could just magically get my old life back. But instead… I don't know what I'm doing." She had lost eye contact with Jack part of the way through her admission, opting to instead hang her head in shame. A few tears had slipped out during her confession before she could wipe them away with her sleeve. Jack's hand was still holding hers, his thumb now rubbing gentle circles on her skin. She looked back up at him to gauge his reaction, expecting pity or maybe even anger at her weakness. Instead, he changed his features into a look of understanding, and nodded slightly.

"You probably don't want to hear this, but I know what it's like. To think that everything's gone, that you have nothing left. But it's not true." He squeezed her hand and shifted, sitting up slightly. "It took me a lot of time to learn this, but cutting everyone out and shutting down isn't how you heal. It takes time, but it helps when you let people be there. There are people who care, Renee. You still have me." Jack smiled and turned the mood lighter, "And apparently my daughter."

Renee laughed, ignoring the tears that had been threatening to spill over before.

"She really is something, isn't she? Both of you are just completely full of surprises."

There was no mistaking the joy in his eyes the second Kim was mentioned. Renee remembered the dark look he gave her when he accused her of dragging Kim into the situation. If she hadn't called Kim, Tony might not have found out she was there… As if he could tell she had dark thoughts looming, Jack interrupted her reminiscing.

"Speaking of Kim, how did she get you here?"

Renee's face turned into a wry smile. "Oh, she completely played me. She really is good, you know. Practically broke my door down and said you needed to see me. I guess she gave me the kick in the ass I needed. I… I was scared to see you. I wanted to. I was so glad when Janis told me you were getting the treatment. How did she convince you, anyway?"

"She didn't. I was in a coma by the time she got there, so she shanghaied Sunny Macer into doing the treatment."

Renee was laughing more in this 15-minute visit with Jack than she had in the past month. "Well, she's definitely your daughter."

Jack joined in with her laughter. Suddenly, Renee found herself giving credence to Jack's 'people help' theory. When the laughter died down, Renee met Jack's eyes and realized they were still holding hands.

"Thank you." She didn't realize she said it until the words were out of her mouth. Jack looked at her questioningly. "For… This. For helping."

He smiled back briefly, then grew serious. "I'm sorry if Kim was out of line."

"I'm not. She was right."

They continued chatting for a few minutes- Jack told Renee about his new family, Renee offered bits of news- it was sparse because of her lack of contact with the outside world, but she got a regular subscription to the Washington Post to keep her informed.

They kept away from the heavier topics- Renee had been to funerals for Bill, Larry, and several other FBI agents; Jack was struggling with his rehabilitation. Both of them knew, on some level, that there would be time for all that later. Now that they had reconnected, the assumption had floated between them that they would be in each other's lives. It shocked Renee to think that she had met this man only a month ago, and spent less than a day with him. She remembered descending on Almeida and Wilson in the helicopter, her eyes instinctively went to Jack. Even when she should have lost him in the firefight, or when he ducked away to avoid the gunfire, she knew where he was.

While Jack and Renee caught up, Kim was down the street at a tiny café, picking up something more edible for her father. He was still on a strict diet, so the bacon cheeseburger he would have loved was out of the question. She settled on two parfaits and got in line. She rethought it as she approached the cashier- better make it three.

Kim felt bad for manipulating Renee like she did, but she stood by her decision. It would be worth it if it helped her father heal. From the small peek the young woman got of Renee's apartment, it was probably good for her to get out as well. It may not have been the best thing to do, but it still felt like the right thing to do. Hopefully a parfait would work in lieu of an apology.

By the time she returned to her father's room his gravely laughter filled the air, accompanied by the light tinkling of Renee's giggles. Not wanting Renee to feel uncomfortable, or give her an excuse to leave before Kim could observe the two for a bit, she stepped back out of the room and grabbed an extra chair from the hallway.

"I've got food! Renee, I hope you like parfaits."

Renee could see that Kim was working hard to make her feel welcome. For some reason, the thought made her uneasy. She couldn't remember how to do this, make friends and just hang out with people. She glanced back over at Jack as she took a bite of berries and yogurt. He smiled adoringly at his daughter as she handed him the contraband food. It might be difficult, but it would be worth it. Renee was going to make an effort.

"This is delicious, Kim, thank you."

She launched into a conversation with Kim about her daughter, and for the next two hours the three of them spent their time eating, chatting, and cooing over baby pictures until a nurse came in to give Jack some more medicine. Renee looked at the clock and for the first time realized how much time had passed. It wasn't that she had anywhere to be, but she didn't want to wear out her welcome on this first visit.

Once again reading her mind, Jack reached for her hand and smiled. "They tell me I'm going to be stuck in here for a while longer. Will you come back?" He wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but there was a glint of hope in his eye that rendered her powerless against him.

"Yeah, I'll come by soon." Unsure of how to say goodbye, she squeezed his hand once more as she stood up, and turned to leave. She had only gone two steps when Kim jumped up as well.

"I'll walk you out, Renee."

Neither of them quite knew what to say without Jack there- they had formed an easy rapport, but the awkwardness had somehow crept back. They were silent through a few halls, then Kim suddenly stopped, putting her hand on the older woman's arm to still her.

"Thank you, Renee. He seemed a lot better today than I'd seen him in a while."

"Kim, I should really be thanking you. I should have stopped by earlier, but I don't think I would have if you hadn't showed up."

Kim smiled and, to Renee's surprise, pulled her into a hug.

"I hope I'll see you again soon, Renee."

Renee's smile lit up her eyes as she pulled away and started to turn towards the door.

"Count on it."


	4. Chapter 4

It had been three months since Jack woke up. Though Steven had returned full time to LA for work, he was back for the weekend. Kim and Teri had spent two of the three months in DC, waiting on Jack. Renee Walker was also a regular fixture at Jack's side. After she lost her job at the FBI, she had no immediate desire to get back in the field. She had been spending her time in her apartment, staring blankly at the TV or simply lying in bed. Now, she spent most days at the hospital. She stuck with him in physical therapy, acting as his unofficial coach. When he was stuck in bed, she would sit by his side, watching TV or just talking. When the staff brought in cafeteria food that was completely inedible, she would sneak snacks in for him- using the cheat sheet Kim and Dr. Macer had each offered her a copy of.

When she got home at night, she would clean the apartment, sort the mail, or go out to run errands. Very rarely did she find herself staring blankly at the wall, lost in dark memories. Somehow, in helping Jack recover, she was healing as well.

She had once said that she thought everything would have been better off if they'd just done what Jack said. Once again he was proving himself to be right. Renee was in the process of healing, but it was still slow going. She was back among the living, but the nightmares hadn't ceased. They were never completely the same- sometimes Jack was shooting her, sometimes he buried her, sometimes she was killing him. Tony killed Larry, Jack killed Larry, she killed Larry. Explosions, everyone dead. Streets becoming graveyards. It was almost a relief when the older nightmares came back- Vladimir's hands on her, watching her first partner get shot in a firefight, her parents crushed in a car accident. It was always different, but always the same. Death and destruction happened every night.

Since the first visit, she and Jack had started to talk about the serious topics- Jack was thinking about seeing Tony in prison, Renee went to visit Larry's grave, and indictments were still being filed. The nightmares she still hadn't brought up. Despite her trust in him, she was still hesitant to show him how weak she was. He was still recovering, physically and mentally, in no condition to be brought down by her emotional baggage. And though it was irrational, a part of her thought that he wouldn't want to be around her if he knew what a wreck she really was. She knew that Jack had been through more than she would ever experience in ten lifetimes, that if anyone could understand it would be him, but she didn't want to subject him to it.

This was her mindset when she came in late one evening. She had spent the day in the FBI building. She left the Bureau after the Wilson interrogation, but they still begrudgingly needed her to come in for debriefs and to assist with the case against Wilson. Renee didn't like it any more than the suits at the FBI did. Every time she walked into the building, hushed whispers and sideways glances followed her. No one spoke directly to her any more unless they had to. Janis had tried once, but was met with only stony glares and one or two word answers.

She spent six incredibly long hours in an FBI conference room. The traffic in that area was unusually high- people wanted a glimpse of the resident wild child. Renee felt like a circus freak in a cage. She was surprised that no one had actually stopped and pressed their noses up to the glass yet. Trying to ignore them, Renee focused on the files before her and got back to the job at hand.

The FBI prosecutor thanked her for her time, and Renee was gone in a flash. She was running on autopilot until she realized that she wasn't anywhere near her apartment- she was about a block away from the hospital. She stopped briefly to pick up a couple milkshakes and continued to Jack's room.

All day she had been dealing with people gossiping about her right in front of her. She'd developed a sort of sixth sense for it over the past few months. It was disconcerting when she walked into the hospital- the place where she felt safest lately- and could feel the whispers and stares making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Frustration, confusion, all of the negative emotions flooded back until she caught the eyes of a nurse. The young woman was clearly talking about Renee, but she noticed something different. These weren't the stares and glares she got at the FBI. The women gossiping about Renee had no idea what kind of a monster she was. To them, she was just the woman monopolizing the time of their all-star patient. Renee wasn't the class reject here- she was the head cheerleader, going off to see her quarterback boyfriend. She knew that Jack was completely oblivious to the affect he had on women, but Renee, who was not entirely immune to it herself, realized that the medical staff was half in love with him. Their curiosity with Renee was based on her positive role in this man's life, something she was unused to.

It was past 9 pm- after normal visiting hours, but once again, rules didn't apply with Jack Bauer. A few nurses nodded greetings at Renee as she walked into his ward, silently agreeing to ignore the breach in protocol. She had never been here this late before, so she had no idea that the staff made Jack try to sleep at 8. The lights and Jack were both out when she got into the room. She debated just leaving, but it made no difference to her if she sat in this dark room or her own. Maybe here she could at least find someone to unload the second milkshake onto. She settled into the chair next to Jack's bed and stared out the window, lost in thought.

Her milkshake was half gone when noises next to her snapped her out of her trance. Jack had started thrashing about in his sleep- at first, she thought he was having a seizure. Before she could reach the button to call a nurse, someone was in there, shaking him awake.

"Mr. Bauer! Mr. Bauer!"

His eyes snapped open and he gave a quick yelp. The nurse who had rushed in was clearly used to this. She held her eye contact with Jack to ensure that he was fully there, bid him a goodnight and left again. As Jack settled back into the pillows, he realized he wasn't alone. Renee was standing in a corner of the room, looking like she wanted to melt into the wall.

He couldn't meet her eyes, knowing the fear he'd see there. He didn't want to tell Renee about the nightmares- they weren't anything new. He'd been unable to sleep through the night for years now. It was one thing for the night staff to see him tremor and scream, but he had hoped to keep this from his friends and family.

An apology seemed wrong, but he was at a loss for what else to say. He still hadn't looked up at Renee, and was surprised to find her suddenly at his bedside. He moved over to make room as she swung one leg up onto the bed.

"Last night, for me, it was the FBI building. We were all in there, just minding our own business, chatting, whatever, when the lights went out and there was an explosion."

Renee was half-sitting on the bed, far enough that she wasn't touching Jack, but close enough that he could hear her though she was practically whispering. Both of them had refused to see a psychiatrist. The thought of unloading this onto someone normal felt like a crime. But Jack wasn't normal. Jack was… He was Jack, and that's all that mattered right now.

His hand reached for hers. Neither of them was alone in this anymore.

"This time it was Bill at the White House. It never should have been him."

Renee knew that Bill had sacrificed himself willingly, that he got to choose how he died. Jack knew it too, but he didn't need to hear it again right now. Right now was just about being there. She squeezed his hand back and pulled her other leg onto the bed.

She passed him his milkshake and the two sat, silent except for the occasional slurp of a straw. They didn't talk for the rest of the night. By the time he finished his milkshake, Renee had fallen asleep next to him. He plucked the now-empty cup out of her hand and pulled her head onto his chest. He fell asleep with his arms around her. Neither of them woke up again until morning.

Sunny Macer walked into the ward to see a crowd of nurses surrounding Jack's room. Her heart started to race as she thought of all the possible reasons for commotion- a seizure, a fall and broken leg, maybe an old heart issue came back- why wasn't she paged?

Her fears were completely unfounded. There was no commotion, simply a crowd. She reached the window looking into Jack's room and saw Renee there, asleep in his arms. At least that was finally settled.

"Really, people, are we going to stand here gawking all day? Go save lives or something." Sunny was rarely so blasé about the work of medical professionals, but this image put her in a more lighthearted place.

The crowd dispersed, but the energetic gossiping was there to stay. One of the nurses moved to bring Jack his morning meds. Sunny stopped her with a hand on her elbow.

"I've got this one." She said with a smile.

It was apparent that Jack's rehabilitation went by much more smoothly once Renee Walker had appeared. Some of it could be pegged on her constant attention and encouragement, but Sunny thought it was her mere presence that helped Jack adjust. His strength was coming back bit by bit- now, a quarter of a year later he was almost back to fighting fit. Sunny wouldn't be surprised if he ended up back in the field by the end of a year.

Sunny shook Jack awake gently, then quietly chided them. "If you two can't behave, I'm going to have to send in a chaperone."

Jack's waking groan stirred Renee. While he took some time to get his bearings, used to the morning routine, Renee jumped out of the bed, eyes wide. She glanced around before realizing that she was in the hospital- and that Sunny had just caught her asleep with Jack. By the time he was fully awake and looking at her, Renee's face matched her vibrant hair. Jack chuckled, turning back to Dr. Macer.

"Sorry, mom, I promise we'll be good." He took his pills and thanked Sunny as she started to leave. Renee had stood quietly by his bedside during the whole interaction. She still looked a bit shell-shocked.

Jack tried to put her at ease with a smile, and grabbed her hand as was becoming habit. As his cathartic presence started to take effect, Renee let out a quiet sigh and sat down in the chair next to Jack's bed. Words weren't necessary between them. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes until someone came in to empty the trash can.

"So how much longer are you grounded?"

Renee had heard vague terms such as 'a few weeks' or 'a bit longer now', but no one had given her Jack's release date. Just then, Steven and Teri came in.

"Depends on his labs, but if the numbers are good he should be out of here in another week. Kim's picking up the paper but Teri simply couldn't wait to see Grandpa Jack."

Jack's smile brightened when his granddaughter entered the room. Renee still couldn't help but laugh whenever she heard Jack referred to as a grandfather. He adapted to the role with ease, but the words would never feel right to her.

"I've got to say, I don't hate having a doctor in the family." Steven deposited Teri into Jack's waiting arms and left to get a couple more chairs. Renee's presence had been accepted without issue by Jack's family. Steven was a bright young man, and not blind to the positive effect Renee had on Jack's rehabilitation. Teri took a liking to Renee the second she started playing with her hair. Renee had never thought of herself as a 'kid person', but Teri almost instantly changed her mind. Whenever Kim needed some time to herself, Renee jumped at the chance to watch Teri.

After eating up Jack's attention, Teri turned to Renee and squirmed, asking in her own way to be picked up. Jack's grinned even wider as he passed the infant over. The second she was in her arms, Teri was squealing with mirth and grabbing at as much of Renee's hair as she could. Renee was soaking it up, laughing and shaking her hair just out of Teri's reach. Steven came back in with two chairs, and Renee realized that she hadn't showered or changed her clothes since yesterday. She was torn between her desire for hygiene and the need to not move from this spot. After a few minutes of playing with Teri, she passed her back to Jack with an apologetic look.

"I should…"

"Right, yeah. I'll see you soon?"

Renee smiled back at him in affirmation and left before Kim got there- Steven may not have noticed the state of her outfit, but there's no way it would escape his wife's scrutiny.

She was wrong, however- as soon as she was out of the room, Steven gave his father in law a wide, knowing grin. Before he could jibe at him, Kim walked in.

"Oh good, you're here, you just missed Renee."

Kim caught on to her husband's teasing tone quickly. "That's odd of her to stop by so early. What was she doing here, daddy?"

Jack fixed them with a glare, but otherwise ignored them before turning his attention to Teri, moving her aside so he could get out of bed and into the nearby chair.

"Alright, if we're done discussing my social life…" Jack couldn't keep the smile off his face for too long. He was here with his family, and he and Renee had made significant progress by finally opening up about the issues that day had caused. Waking up next to her also didn't hurt his mood. He decided to allow himself some time to be happy before the normal issues of endangering everyone around him rose again.


	5. Chapter 5

Steven left later that day to get back to LA, regretting that he couldn't be there to see Jack get out of the hospital. Sunny was also supposed to get on a flight to Atlanta later that day- Jack was still in recovery, but her part in his treatment had been over for a month now.

Kim and Teri were joining Jack for lunch in his room when Sunny came in, looking almost out of place wearing a tan pea coat rather than her usual CDC jacket. The smile on her face told him that she wasn't back because of his illness.

"Jack, I just got off the phone with Secret Service."

She didn't understand the worried look that passed over his face as he glanced over at Kim and Teri. He stood up and pulled Sunny out into the hallway, out of Kim's earshot.

"Are they transferring me back into custody when I'm released?"

Funny how her mind wouldn't have thought to go there. She shook her head and started to escort him back to his family.

"Nothing like that." When they were back in the room, she started speaking again. "They wanted to arrange a time for the President to visit you and your family tomorrow."

The worry had left Jack's face, but it was replaced with a bit of ire as he looked around at the hospital room and down at the sweatpants and t-shirt he was wearing. Sunny rolled her eyes in amusement at his sudden vanity.

"We've got a conference room downstairs. I'm sure Kim can pick you up some clothes tomorrow morning. We're scheduled for 2 PM."

"But I get out of here in a week…" Jack knew the argument was futile before he started, but he had enough pride to not want the President to see him as an invalid.

"I'm not asking the President of the United States to reschedule, Jack. And there's no national emergency on the line, so neither are you." That one certainly earned her a scowl. "And don't forget, the one week is an estimate- an estimate that I don't remember giving you, in fact." She looked at him accusingly, an eyebrow raised. "Steven?"

"Doesn't every father want their little girl to marry a doctor?"

It was agreed that Kim and Renee would go to Jack's apartment and get an outfit for him- Kim's enthusiasm at including the older women told Sunny that Jack had been busted for this morning's excitement. Sunny took care of things on her end- booking the conference room, alerting security that Secret Service would be overseeing them, keeping it quiet from staff so that there wasn't a clamor to trade shifts. Sunny had been asked to attend as well, allowing her an excuse to stay until Jack was released.

Kim left earlier than usual that night, already on the phone with Renee. She and Teri met up with Renee about fifteen minutes later, outside Jack's apartment building. Kim was technically living in Jack's apartment during the first week of his recovery, but in reality there were only a total of ten or fifteen hours when she wasn't in the hospital during that period. Since then, she had stopped in to pick up a few odds and ends for her father. This was the first time Renee was entering the apartment, and the entire situation had her on edge. It felt too much like an invasion of privacy, even if she was being led in by the occupant's daughter, with his consent. That fear went away as soon as she stepped into the apartment- it was hard to feel like she was invading his privacy when there was nothing to invade. The apartment was blank and bare- less of a home and more of a space to inhabit. She remembered that Jack had only been here for a few weeks, and that he'd lived a completely solitary life for years before that.

She walked with Kim to the bedroom and followed her directions to the closet while Kim settled Teri, now asleep, in the center of the bed. Kim went through the wardrobe and bathroom while Renee looked for a nice suit for Jack. She had seen him in a suit before, first at the Senate hearings she had first pulled him out of. Though it was hard to deny how good he looked in it, he seemed out of place dressed so formally. He looked so much more confident and in control in the jeans and long sleeve shirt he was wearing when he shot and buried her- Renee stopped those thoughts before they could completely take over. Back to the suits it was. She settled on a black number with a crisp blue shirt, and pulled out the black leather shoes sitting on the floor of the closet while Kim approved of Renee's selection and grabbed a silk tie from his meager selection.

Kim packed everything carefully into a garment bag and picked up her daughter.

"I guess we should bring these over tonight- make sure he likes everything."

Renee checked her watch- 7:30.

"I think they'll try and have him asleep by the time we get over there. The nurse said he was on an 8 o'clock curfew."

Kim was stopped from responding by a grumbling stomach- her own. Renee let out a chuckle.

"I'll tell you what, let me buy you dinner and then I'll drop these off on my way back home."

Kim had left as her father was about to eat, and completely forgot about her own food in the excitement of preparing for tomorrow. She thanked Renee for her offer and followed her out the door, pausing to lock it behind her. Renee led them down the street to a quaint sandwich shop. The dinner rush had ended, so the trio had no problem finding a table. Kim sat down with Teri and relayed her order to Renee while she dropped the garment bag in a chair. Renee ordered for the two of them and brought back their food while Kim was lost in thoughts of appropriate attire for her daughter's first meeting with a Head of State- Kim's snort at that thought almost woke Teri.

"Renee, what are you planning on wearing tomorrow? I've never had to dress for a meeting with the President before."

Renee was unsure how to answer- first of all, talking about what clothes to wear was so bizarrely normal, and she hadn't had a normal conversation in a while, even with Jack. Second, she hadn't expected to attend the meeting.

"If the President asked to meet with you and your family, it's not going to be anything too formal." She didn't add the second part of what she was thinking- the President had asked for Jack's family, not the disgraced former agent who dragged him into this mess.

Kim had inherited her father's perceptiveness. "You know you're coming, right?"

"I'm not family, the President said you guys, I don't want to interfere."

Kim sighed. She had seen the connection between her father and Renee growing over the last few months, but they were both hesitant to acknowledge it. She hadn't expected either of them to start gossiping about their relationship with her, but she was hoping that at the very least Renee would start to feel more comfortable around them.

"Dad wants you there. I want you there. Teri will probably throw a fit if you're not there."

Renee didn't have to look to feel Kim's piercing eyes on her.

"Okay." Renee turned her attention back to her sandwich for a moment, trying to get away from how awkward and out of place she felt. It had been a while since she had anyone to think of as family, but maybe she could get used to this. It definitely wasn't a bad feeling. After she had made a bit of headway on her dinner, she decided not to let Kim be the only one making an effort.

"So is this your first Presidential meeting?"

Kim contemplated the question for a second. "It'll be my first time meeting a sitting President. But I've met a few others." The genuinely interested look on Renee's face encouraged Kim to continue. She took a sip of her soda before continuing. "About a month after my dad started working for Secretary Heller, my boyfriend Chase and I went out to visit him. He'd promised to take us out to dinner. It was about a forty-five minute ride out of the city, and then we pulled up to this huge estate. I had no idea what was going on when we pulled through all of these security checkpoints- I thought that there must be some kind of bomb threat or disaster, and now he was dragging us to a safe house or something. We pulled up the driveway, and Secret Service led us through a garden path. When we got to the back patio, there was David Palmer in khakis and an apron, grilling us steaks." Kim chuckled as she remembered just how surprised she was. "It was such a great night- we just sat around, chatting and laughing for hours."

Her smile disappeared as she remembered the other time she had met David Palmer. "The next time I saw him, he was with his brother; though he hadn't run for President yet so I'm not sure if that counts."

"When was that?"

"My dad's funeral."

Renee's eyes widened as she regretted the question. Kim didn't notice her reaction, and continued the story.

"David and Wayne Palmer were both there. They had a ton of people from DC with them. You know, I never really realized how many people were loyal to dad. I didn't think of it back then, but there were a bunch of people from both Palmer and Keeler's administrations there." She shook her head and went back into the memory, "After the service President Palmer pulled me aside. He said that he'd promised my dad a long time ago that he'd make sure I was taken care of if anything ever happened to him. I think he asked me if I was ok. I don't really remember all of it. But he gave me a number to call if I needed it, and every six months after that he called to check in." Kim's eyes refocused on Renee as she came back to the present. Kim smiled to reassure Renee that she wasn't upset at the bad memories.

"So, what do you wear to meet the President?"

The two chatted about suits and dresses for a bit longer before finishing their meals. Renee saw Kim and Teri into a cab, then walked to the hospital.

The nurses had a somewhat gleeful look when they saw Renee approach, but she would have to disappoint them today. She hung the garment bag up on the back of his door, making sure not to disturb him from his sleep, and left to go home and try and rest. She was terrified about seeing the President tomorrow- the FBI was eager to sweep the nature of her interrogation of Wilson as far under the rug as they could, but it was general knowledge within the agency and in certain offices of the White House. She settled into bed that night plagued not by thoughts of death and destruction, but by the fear of judgment and condemnation.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Renee picked out an unworn black suit she had mentioned to Kim and went rifling in her closet for a shirt. Finding the light blue one she had on her mind, she set them aside and went about her morning. She was still on edge about seeing the President, and the 2 hours of sleep she'd managed to scrape up didn't help. She decided to take a lazy morning and not face the day until she really had to. She made breakfast, tried and failed to eat most of it, cleaned, read, and walked around in circles for ten minutes straight. It was almost 11 AM and now she was dizzy. She planned on getting to the hospital by 1, and traffic was unpredictable. Renee showered and dressed, and was halfway out the door when she realized the outfit she picked out was identical to the one Jack would be wearing. She grabbed a white shirt with blue pinstripes and quickly changed before grabbing an energy bar and racing back out the door.

By the time she arrived, the Bauers were all dressed and ready. As she predicted, Jack looked delectable but uncomfortable in the suit. Kim had done some retail therapy during the earlier days of Jack's recovery, and it paid off. She had on a stately purple sheath dress and cardigan, while Teri looked adorable in pink leggings and a white dress, with a pink bow half-falling out of her hair. Kim finally gave up on the bow and pulled a headband- again with a bow- out of her bag. Renee tried to slip in unnoticed, but it was impossible in the present company. Jack and Teri both looked straight up at her as she entered, the former with a smile and the latter with a shriek of joy.

"Nay!" Teri was still having trouble with R's, and wasn't using full sentences much, but she had named everyone around her as best as she could.

Kim, finally satisfied with Teri's hairstyle, passed her off to Renee with a smile. She knew better than to think that Renee wouldn't show, but it was still a relief that she was here un-coerced. Renee let the little girl play with her hair for a bit, but stopped her from mussing it too much by picking up her stuffed elephant to play with instead.

Jack was sitting down in his chair by the window. On a normal day, he would be up and about any chance he got- namely, whenever the doctors weren't around to tell him he was overdoing it. Today, he was concerned about saving his energy for meeting with the President. He disliked his weakness, but he would be satisfied with downplaying it for the afternoon.

Renee, Kim, and Teri soon joined him. The adults sat, chatting and taking turns playing with Teri. Sunny Macer walked in just before 2 to whisk them off to the conference room. She started to offer Jack a wheelchair, but was quickly stopped by a stern look from him. They arrived just as the Secret Service advance teams were checking the room. After a quick security sweep, one of the agents informed them that the President would be a while longer- she was held up in a conference call.

Jack noticed that Renee had taken up her position as far in the corner as possible. This was how he thought it should be- that people would want to hide from him. But it wasn't him she was afraid of; it was scrutiny from the President. She'd handled the accusing glares from her peers and superiors well enough, but a rebuttal from the President would be more than she could be expected to handle. Jack hoped that the two had gained enough of a rapport during the catastrophes they'd worked to avert, but he himself had first assumed that the President wanted to arrest him today. He couldn't blame Renee for being nervous. He wanted to comfort her, but pulling attention to her struggles in front of everyone was not what she needed right now. He caught her eye and tried to reassure her with a smile while Sunny and Kim were preoccupied with Teri. It seemed to work- she didn't move from her post, but her shoulders lost some tension and her face grew softer. Teri reclaimed his attention, and Renee relaxed against the wall, content with watching Jack have a family moment.

Not much time passed before Secret Service opened the doors and the President walked through with a group of agents, most notably Agent Aaron Pierce. Jack caught his eye and they exchanged a nod. Pierce had started out trusting David Palmer's faith in Jack, but the few times they've worked together he developed his own respect for the man. Pierce wanted to go back into retirement, but agreed to stay in service while the aftermath of the calamity had settled.

"Jack." President Taylor stepped forward to shake his hand. "I'm so glad to see you well. And you must be Kimberly. I hear it's your bravery we have to thank for your father being here today. And who's this?" She shook Kim's free hand before inquiring about her daughter.

"This is my daughter, Teri. And thank you- it's very nice to meet you, Madame President."

The President turned back to Jack. "Congratulations, Jack. You have quite a lovely family."

"Thank you, Madame President." Jack beamed a bit brighter as Teri waved up at Allison Taylor.

"Mam Pez-dant!" Teri had to get her two cents in, to the amusement of the adults. Even the normally stoic Secret Service Agents let out a bit of a smile when the President started cooing over the infant.

Once the Bauer family had been greeted, Allison turned her sights on Sunny.

"Dr. Macer, Ben Landry tells me that you were instrumental in preparing domestic response scenarios for the attacks. Also, I hear that you and Jack are causing quite a stir in the medical community. Thank you very much for your service."

Once the President finished speaking with Dr. Macer, she caught sight of Renee in the corner. She was no longer leaning against the wall, but was clearly alright with being on the sidelines. Allison knew that she and Jack had just met the day she pulled him out of the Senate hearings- she hadn't expected to see her in the hospital with his family.

"Agent Walker, I wasn't expecting to see you here." While being addressed, Renee moved to rejoin the group. President Taylor could sense the woman's discomfort, and right away knew the cause. The Wilson interrogation had been out of line, but as far as she was concerned, the issue had been dealt with when Renee left the Bureau. No one pressed for prosecution. Wilson couldn't afford to admit that he talked, and as much as they all hated it, the Bureau recognized that they wouldn't have gotten anything without the interrogation. The President was content to let sleeping dogs lie. She addressed both her and Jack.

"I just got off the phone with Prime Minister Matobo. His government has just started to get back on its feet over there. He wanted me to convey his regards and his thanks to you, Jack." She turned back towards Renee and reached to shake her hand, "And I daresay that goes double for you."

"Thank you, Madame President." Renee's slightly shocked voice sounded nothing like the confident one she had last time the President saw her. Jack wasn't the only one who had to heal- they were all still suffering from the damage that day had caused.

"Jack, my staff and I wanted to have a ceremony to thank you for your service today, but Karen Hayes convinced me you'd prefer a more informal meeting."

Jack had laughter in his eyes as he agreed, "Karen has always been astute." When Jack ran away, Karen used her remaining government contacts to keep tabs on their search. She sent him a letter a week in advance of the Senate Summons to alert him. She'd supported his decision to escape the witch hunt, though there wasn't much she could do to help beyond warning him when the government had caught up to him.

But thoughts of Karen brought up thoughts of Bill, which was likely the reason the President was talking to Karen in the first place. He hadn't gotten the opportunity yet to apologize for letting Bill into that situation. A phone call seemed too impersonal, and after all that Bill and Karen had done for him, she deserved better.

The President continued, "I still feel it's necessary to recognize your service. The United States government has therefore decided to present you with the David Palmer Award for Valor." She motioned for Agent Pierce to hand her the plaque he had been holding, which she presented to Jack, along with a letter. "That letter is from the family of David Palmer- Sandra, Keith, and Nicole all wish to convey their continued gratitude."

Jack was floored- this was a far cry from the handcuffs he was originally expecting. And clearly they knew what would get to him- naming the award after David Palmer was a thoughtful touch. His voice was thick when he accepted the award.

"Thank you, Madame President, but I was just doing my-" he knew that he would be rebuked for saying he was doing his job once again, as he was in Senate custody at the start of that day, "I was just doing my duty, ma'am."

Allison Taylor took this as a positive sign that Jack would be receptive to her next request- the main reason for her coming here. The group stood around politely chatting for a bit- Allison Taylor was especially interested in learning more about Jack's family. After inviting Kim and Teri to visit the White House for the Easter celebrations, the President turned back to business.

"Jack, I wonder if I might get a minute to chat with you privately." Kim, Teri, Sunny, and Renee filed out with smiles and thanks. The President waved Secret Service out as well.

"I have to admit I had ulterior motives in seeing you today. I've come to realize that Jonas Hodges may be right about some things- our nation is more vulnerable than I'd realized. The thought of such an intricate terrorist group operating on our own soil is devastating. I'm not satisfied that we are currently equipped to handle everything anymore."

"Madame President, I'm not sure what you're asking of me."

"Jack, I've decided to re-establish CTU. It's going to take work- it won't be the same organization as it was before, but we need a dedicated group for these kinds of threats. I would like your help in setting up the organization. You ran CTU Las Angeles for years, and you have more experience dealing with these threats than anyone else I know. I'm not asking you to take a permanent position- not yet, at least. Your doctors tell me you should be out of here in the next month or so, and that you'll be tied to the east coast for the next 6 to 12 months. I'll give you some time to think about it, but I hope I'll have an answer when you're released."

"Madame President- thank you for thinking of me for this, but I'll need more details before I can make a decision."

"Of course, Tim Woods is compiling the current plans and information. He'll be sending it over as soon as possible. Also, my office has been collecting resumes for potential technical leads. The FBI Agents who worked with the CTU system said that it needs to be upgraded. We've decided an entire overhaul is in order, since it will be a new organization."

"I may be able to save your staff some time on that front. The person you want is Chloe O'Brian. She has more experience with the CTU system than anyone else, and is more than capable of building a similar one for you."

The President smiled and raised her eyebrows, "You'll have to inform her once you take the job, then."

Jack laughed and nodded at the insinuation- they both had a feeling that he'd end up back at CTU before long.

"Jack, once this business with getting CTU up and running is over, I will be offering you a job. More than one, actually; now that Dubaku's moles have been uncovered we've been left in the lurch. CTU will need staff, as does the White House."

Jack thanked her for the generous offer and promised to consider it when the time came. He asked how the repairs and recoveries were going from the attacks, thinking of her husband's shooting and the safe room after Bill- after it had blown up.

"It was an exceptionally trying day for all of us. We're still reeling from it at the White House. How are you doing with everything, Jack?"

Jack wasn't going to unload his demons on the President of the United States, but he didn't want to lie to her, either.

"One thing at a time, Madame President."


	7. Chapter 7

Once final goodbyes and thank yous were said, the President and Dr. Macer each left to continue working. Kim, Teri, and Renee led Jack back up to his room. Renee could tell that there was a lot on Jack's mind. She figured Kim would want to spend some time alone with her father to talk about it, so she offered to take Teri to get their dinners from the cafeteria. Kim graciously accepted and sat down next to her father's chair while she waited him to finish changing back into his sweats.

He emerged and went straight for his seat. The meeting with the President took a lot out of him, as he would normally be leaning against the chair or pacing in spite of his doctors' warnings.

"What did the President want, daddy?"

Jack continued to look out the window as he answered.

"She wanted to talk to me about work." He looked at his daughter and grabbed her hand. "She wants to re-build CTU, and she asked me to come on board to help set it up. Strictly desk work, and it would be temporary. I think I'm going to accept." Anticipating an argument from his daughter, he continued, "I need to stay local anyways, but once I'm out of here there won't be much else for me to do."

Kim smiled back at her father. "Daddy, that's great. But I know a short desk job isn't what has you so worried. What's really going on?"

Jack gave her a half smile. "You don't miss much, do you?"

"You're my dad. I know you."

Jack nodded and dropped his head again. "Once CTU is set up, she's going to be offering me another job. It won't necessarily be field work, but I'd probably have to stay on the East Coast. Sweetheart, we hadn't talked much about what I'd do when I got out of here. I know you wanted me to be close for you and Teri, and I'd really like to be with my family again." He still sounded hesitant.

"You've got ties here too, dad." She pointed out softly. "And I understand if you need to do this. I'll support you no matter what you decide, no matter where you end up staying. Anyways, I doubt that CTU will be built in a day, even with you leading it. I think we should all take some time before making any huge decisions."

Jack was impressed. Patience was the one thing she didn't get from his side of the gene pool. "When did you get so wise?"

Renee meandered through the hallways for a bit before going to the cafeteria to give Jack and Kim time to talk. On the way back, she and Teri stopped at the nurses' station, which ate up another ten minutes easily. She didn't worry about their dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches getting cold. By the time they returned, Jack and Kim were chatting amicably about past memories. Renee listened to them talk about a trip to the beach as she put their dinners down on the table at the side of the room and made her way back over to give Teri back to her mother. As she was listening, she noticed how light Jack's voice got whenever he talked about his family and the things that made him happy. The first day she worked with him, she never saw that side to him, but somehow she knew it was there. The hard, stoic Agent Jack Bauer couldn't be who he was seven days a week. Since then, every time she was proven right felt like a treat.

The group relocated to the table and started to dig in. Kim finished quickly and said her goodbyes for the night, claiming to have left Teri's food at home. She figured her father would want to tell Renee about his meeting with the President privately, and wanted to give them the same courtesy Renee had.

They had each started on their oatmeal and raisin cookies when Jack finally broached the topic of his meeting.

"Thank you for being there today."

Renee nodded. "What did the President want?"

"She's rebuilding CTU. Asked me to come on and help set it up."

"And you're going to do it."

"It's a temporary desk job, and I think I could help. Yeah, I'm going to do it."

They chewed in silent contemplation for a bit, before Renee spoke up again.

"How temporary?"

"Not sure- less than a year. She implied that it would be over by the time my treatment was done."

Renee was scared to ask what Jack would be doing after CTU was set up. Part of her was terrified with the prospect of him moving away. She had started turning to him more and more over the last few months. While she hated to think of herself as dependant on anyone, she felt better when he was around. He had somehow gotten her to feel human again, and she was worried that the feeling would go away when he did.

Renee took a deep breath. "And then you're moving back to LA."

"No." She looked up, surprised. "At least- I don't know yet. The President mentioned permanent work after my recovery, but I wanted to wait before deciding."

"Congratulations on the job." At that moment, Renee realized just how much of a stand-still her life had come to. Jack was in the hospital, yet still managed to get a job. She's been unemployed for a few months now, and with enough saved up to cover expenses, what was the point? But now she'd have free time while Jack worked. In fact, she'd have no reason to see him at all once he left the hospital. As he grabbed her hand, she realized that at least the last bit was untrue.

"Thanks. Have you thought about getting back to work?"

Renee stiffened. "No. I hadn't really thought of it. I hadn't been thinking long term at all, just…"

"One thing at a time. Yeah, I know what you mean."

"The FBI still calls me in every week or so. I think I might wait until that finishes up before starting anything new."

Jack knew that Renee was still being interviewed by the FBI, he was as well. Agent Mizelli had been sent in to do his debriefs whenever Renee was in the FBI. Jack greatly respected Mizelli after he helped uncover Tony's lies. He was adept, polite, and respectful. Mizelli had stopped in last week with some paperwork and said that would be the last meeting. From that point on, he said Jack would be dealing mostly with the lawyers. Jack wasn't looking forward to that at all.

"Hopefully the investigation will get wrapped up soon enough."

For some reason, this ignited her temper. She jumped up from her chair and spoke harshly, "And then what? What am I supposed to do then, Jack, pretend nothing ever happened and move on?"

Jack wasn't at all upset that he made Renee angry. On the contrary, he was relieved to see that she was still capable of it, that the strong-willed woman he remembered was still in there. Though she had been helpful and supportive to him and Kim, she seemed like a shadow of the woman she used to be. The only time she seemed whole was when she was entirely focused on playing with Teri, but that was a totally new side to her that he had no opportunity to see in the field.

Though he was glad to see her react, he didn't want to make her too upset and give her the opportunity to run from him. Kim had gotten through to her once, but Renee was still close enough to her pain to feel like pulling away. Meeting the President today, and the anticipation leading up to it, took a lot out of her. Jack didn't rise to her challenge, but kept his voice calm.

"No. It will always be a part of who you are. You don't move on from things like this. But you can let it inspire you to fight harder. You can look back and try to honor the people we lost."

Renee lost her anger, but her eyes started to glisten. As Jack stood and pulled her into his arms, they were both reminded of the hospital where Marika died. A tear spilled over onto Renee's cheek, but it remained alone as she regained her composure.

The glint of 'old Renee' had left as quickly as it first appeared, but Jack found comfort in it. It was close enough to the surface to show that Renee had been healing. The taste of who she had been made Jack more determined to bring her back. Kim was right- there were things tying him here, people he couldn't bring himself to leave.


	8. Chapter 8

One week after the president's visit saw the wing in an uproar again. Today was another big day for the hospital- discharge day of their star patient. Jack was still weak and unable to go long distances without assistance, but he was stable and seizure-free, and no longer needed the oversight of an entire nursing staff. He needed to stay on the east coast for the next year or more for treatments and physical therapy, but he was moving back into his DC apartment today. He and Sunny had spoken privately about him moving to New York, where his treatments would have to be, but he insisted that he could commute once a month from DC. He cited his upcoming work with the President as an excuse, but they both knew that she was only a part of the reason.

When Renee showed up for his discharge, he figured he would meet the rest of his family at home. That thought jolted him- there was no definite point when Renee had become his family, but it was true. He didn't think he was the only one, as Kim got along with Renee better than she did with any woman Jack had shown interest in before, and she had become a huge part of Teri's life as well. According to Kim, the toddler asked to see Renee almost as often as she asked for her grandfather.

Jack's train of thought was stopped as he and Renee reached the lobby. When the elevator doors opened he saw Kim, Teri, Dr. Macer and a dozen of the hospital staff with balloons and cheers of joy for his good health. It was a going away celebration for both Jack and Dr. Macer, who was now returning to Atlanta to write up her research on the infection and the medical miracles they performed to get rid of it. After fifteen minutes of handshakes, hugs, and smiles, Jack and his family left for his apartment.

Kim and Teri agreed to stay in Jack's guest room for the next two weeks to make sure Jack was taken care of before heading home to LA. As soon as they arrived home, Renee stiffened and awkwardly muttered her goodbyes, leaving them to settle in privately. Jack could see that she was pulling away, insecure and unsure of her place in his life. He tried to stop her, but she refused to meet his eye or listen to his pleading her to stay a bit longer.

Once again Kim managed to come to the rescue. Having been on the receiving end of her guilt trips throughout her childhood and especially her teen years, he was actually kind of grateful that her skill could be harnessed for his advantage. Seeing the exchange from across the room, Kim put down her father's messenger bag and interrupted the older couple.

"Renee, you'll stay for dinner, right? I haven't had to cook for everyone yet, I'm not really sure what I'm doing in the kitchen. We could really use your help."

Renee didn't miss the appreciative look that Jack gave his daughter, and she saw right through the façade of asking for help, but one glance at both pairs of baby blue eyes and she was trapped there, not entirely unwillingly. She nodded meekly and looked down as Kim went to put Teri down for her nap.

"Renee, I don't want you to doubt at all that I want you to be here, because I really do." When she still refused to meet his eyes, he lifted her chin and grabbed her hand gently. "You're a part of my life, Renee. As long as you'll let me, I want to be there for you." He paused, not wanting to push her, but he needed to get it out all the same. "With you."

That finally got a reaction. Renee's eyes widened and he felt her hand tense while his words hit her. As she took a second to wrap her mind around what Jack was saying, all of her insecurities popped up.

"Jack, I- you have your family and things are really good and-" Before she could warn her about how she would just ruin him, he stopped her.

"And I want to share all of that with you, Renee."

Her breathing evened out and she looked down at their entwined hands. She gave a slight nod, looking as though she were reassuring herself more than him, and gazed back up at him.

"Okay." It was barely a whisper, but to Jack it felt like she had just shouted it to the world. He smiled and squeezed her hand before pulling her over to the couch. While he used to be able to chase after terrorists and dodge through firefights, now he could barely handle an emotional conversation standing upright.

They didn't say a word as they sat there; they simply held each other's hand and gathered their strength. Once Kim returned from putting Teri to bed, the three adults spent a pleasant afternoon together idly watching TV and chatting. By the time Teri woke from her nap, Renee felt more comfortable here- almost like she belonged.

She managed to keep that feeling until a news report popped up on the TV. The anchor was delivering an update on the upcoming trials of Alan Wilson and all involved with the terrorist incidents of a few months ago. Kim was getting Teri ready for dinner, so only Jack was around to notice how much she tensed. Though he was quick to turn off the TV, the damage had been done. Renee was visibly shaken by the time Kim and Teri came back in, but Jack didn't want to pressure her about it in front of them. He instead whispered, "It'll be ok."

She wanted to believe him, but knew it wasn't that easy. Any mention of that day brought faces to the front of her mind- Alan Wilson's face, Larry's, her own face after seeing that her hands were stained with blood.

She couldn't afford to think about that now- she needed to be ok, she needed to be human for just a little while longer. If she couldn't do it for Jack, she had to do it for Kim and Teri. In an effort to keep herself grounded, Renee offered herself as babysitter while Kim and Jack prepared dinner. Teri was such a happy, innocent, sweet child that Renee was almost able to forget about her demons for a while. She would just submerge herself in the toddler's world, filled with mermaids and seahorses or elephants and zebras, depending on the day. Today they grabbed a magic unicorn coloring book and had fun ignoring the lines on the paper.

Before long, dinner was ready. Pasta and sausages were passed around liberally, with everyone eating what felt like much more than their share. In what seemed like an instant, the food was gone and three exceptionally full adults were putting off moving as long as possible. Teri ruined that plan as she started fussing with her leftover food, more content to play with it than eat it. With a meaningful look to her father, unmissed by Renee, Kim collected Teri and hastily made excuses to leave, promising to be back tomorrow afternoon.

"Thanks for staying, Renee." Jack was unsure how to broach his real topic- Renee's reaction to the news report earlier. He'd been there before. Whenever anyone mentioned David Palmer or any of the attempts on his life, Jack still felt a twinge of guilt, anger, and remorse. But this wound was fresh, and as far as he knew, Renee hadn't gone through anything like this before. She shouldn't have to- no one should have to.

Renee smiled and nodded meekly, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jack was standing stiffly by the table, looking hesitant.

"Just say it, Jack. Whatever it is… Just say it."

Jack looked down at his hands, unconsciously clenching his right fist. When he met Renee's eyes, his expression was full of care and concern.

"I just want to know how you're doing. I know you've been putting up a strong front while I've been recovering, but you shouldn't have to hide it anymore. It's just me, Renee. I remember what we went through. I'm here if you want to talk about it."

"I really don't, Jack. Besides, talking won't change anything. It's over, so let's just… Move on." She rose and started pacing around the room, clearly agitated. "Talking won't bring anyone back to life- I can't take back what happened or the things that I-" her breathing grew ragged as Carol and Connor Vossler's faces flashed into her head. "I can't face anyone any more. Going into the Hoover building makes me feel like some circus freak. Hell, it's like being back in high school." Jack mustered a smile for Renee's attempt at humor, but made no move to interrupt. "They all know what I did and I just can't stand it."

Jack sat her back down at the table, sat down beside her and took her hand.

"They may have read the reports and heard rumors, but they weren't there. They can't understand what happened that day. They can't judge you, Renee. They haven't been where you've been."

"You have. So are you going to judge me now?" She refused to meet his eyes during her accusation.

"Never. You're right, I've been there. I know some of what you're going through, and I think I can help. But that's all. I'm not here to judge or condemn, Renee. I'm just here to help."

Finally she looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Good. I really think I need help, Jack."

With those whispered words, she leaned in towards him and let him hold her, soothe her, and tell her everything would be alright. She almost started to believe him, too.

"It's not going to be easy, Renee. But we can fight through it. I promise." As sobs wracked through her body, Jack rubbed her back. "You've been so strong, Renee. My family and I… we owe you so much. But now it's my turn. You and Kim- you two saved me. Now I just want to help you."

Jack Bauer may be many things, but he's not one to turn his back on a promise. His files and mission descriptions didn't tell her that, his every action since they met did. With Jack's help, Renee _would_ get through this. She could get through anything as long as Jack had her back, and she knew he did. Just like she knew, from now on, she would always have his.

FIN

Jack, Renee, and crew will all be back soon in _Still Healing_, the sequel to _Saving Dad_.

Hope you all enjoyed this!


End file.
